Wire stripping and crimping apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for stripping insulation from an insulated wire and crimping a U-section ferrule forming a part of an electrical contact to the bared end portion of the wire. The apparatus includes upper and lower crimping jaws for performing the crimping operation. A wire clamping device is positioned in front of the lower jaw. A wire insulation stripping mechanism is mounted behind the lower jaw for movement between forward and rearward positions. A mechanism is provided for feeding a plurality of contacts joined side-by-side to a carrier strip between the crimping jaws. The ferrules of the contacts open downwardly. When the stripping mechanism shifts to its rearward position to strip insulation from an end portion of the wire, the upper crimping jaw lowers to sever a contact from the carrier strip and crimp the contact ferrule onto the wire. When the upper crimping jaw rises, the contact feeding mechanism operates to index an additional contact into position for crimping to another wire.

United States Patent [191 Anderson et al.

[111 3,839,776 [4 1 Oct.'8, 1974 WIRE STRIPPING AND CRIMPING APPARATUSAND METHOD Inventors: Randall H. Anderson, Brea;

Emerson A. Grimsby, Pico Rivera; Kenneth Kessler, Mission Viejo, all ofCalif.

International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation, New York, NY.

[73] Assignee:

Filed: Aug. 20, 1973 Appl. No.: 389,688

US. Cl. 29/203 DT, 29/628 Int. Cl. H01! 43/04, HOlt 43/00 Field ofSearch 29/203 DT, 628, 630 A,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1 970 Hills ..29/203 or 3/1971Kindelletal. ..29/203 or Primary Examiner-Thomas H. Eager Attorney,Agent, or FirmThonias L: PYEbn' [57] ABSTRACT An apparatus and methodfor stripping insulation from an insulated wire and crimping a U-sectionferrule forming a part of an electrical contact to the bared end portionof the wire. The apparatus includes upper and lower crimping jaws forperforming the crimping operation. A wire clamping device is positionedin front of the lower jaw. A wire insulation stripping mechanism ismounted behind the lower jaw for movement between forward and rearwardpositions. A

mechanism is provided for feeding a plurality of contacts joinedside-by-side to a carrier strip between the crimping jaws. The ferrulesof the contacts open downwardly. When the stripping mechanism shifts toits rearward position to strip insulation from an end portion of thewire, the upper crimping jaw lowers to sever a contact from the carrierstrip and crimp the contact ferrule onto the wire. When the uppercrimping, jaw rises, the contact feeding mechanism operates to index anadditional contact into position for crimping to another wire.

28 Claims, 24 Drawing Figures PATENTEU BET 1974 SNEEIIIIT PATENTED 85374MOI WIRE STRIPIING AND CRIMIING APPARATUS AND METHOD BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus and method forstripping the insulation from an end portion of an insulated wire andcrimping a U-section ferrule forming a part of an electrical contact tothe bared end portion of the wire. The apparatus is sometimes referredto in the art as strip-crimp machine.

Strip-crimp machines are well known in the art. Examples of suchmachines are disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,541,654 to Hills and US. Pat.No. 3,570,100 to Kindell et al. In the Hills machine, a plurality ofcontacts joined side-by-side to a common carrier strip are sequentiallyfed over an anvil on the table of a press with the U-section ferrules orcrimppots of the contacts open upwardly. A vertically movable die andcutting tool is positioned above the anvil. An insulated wire ispositioned in the machine between the die and the fer rule of a contactpositioned on the anvil. A stripping device is positioned behind the dieand anvil which severs the insulation on the wire and, when shiftedrearwardly, strips the severed insulation from ,the wire. Thereafter,the die is moved downwardly to bring the bared end portion of the wireinto position in the ferrule to be crimped thereto. During the crimpingstep, the contact is severed from the carrier strip by the tool which isconnected to the die. Thereafter, the carrier strip is indexed to bringanother contact into position for crimping to an additional wire.Kindell et al discloses a somewhat different form of apparatus in whichthe die and anvil are positioned to one side of the insulation strippingmechanism. After the stripping operation, the stripped wire is shiftedlaterally to a position between the die and anvil. The die is lowered tobring the bared end portion of. the wire into position for crimping tothe U-section ferrule of the contact on the anvil. Thus, in both thesemachines, and those of a similar type presently on the market, theU-section ferrule of the contact is positioned on the anvil with theferrule open upwardly, the wire is stripped of insulation and is thenmoved into position for crimping to the contact ferrule positioned onthe anvil. These machines have several disadvantages. Theyare'relatively complicated and expensive and require a relatively highlevel of competence to set up and to adjust or change for different sizewires. In addition, these machines require relatively long lengths ofwire for crimping to the contacts which is undesirable for someapplications.

It is, therefore, desired to provide a strip-crimp machine of somewhatdifferent construction and operation which is relatively simple and easyto operate. In addition, there is a substantial need for a machine whichwill strip and crimp wires of different size without having to changeparts in the machine. It is also desired that such a machine permit thecrimping of contacts to relatively short wires.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The principal object of the present inventionis to provide an improved apparatus and method for stripping insulationfrom an insulated wire and crimping an electrical contact onto the baredend portion of the wire.

According to the principal aspect of the present invention, there isprovided an improved and unique apparatus and method for strippinginsulation from an insulated wire and crimping the U-section ferrule orcrimp pot of a contact to the bared end section of the wire. The machineincludes an upper crimping jaw connected to a press ram and a lower jawconnected to the press table. A wire clamping mechanism is positionedadjacent to the lower crimping jaw. A wire stripping mechanism isprovided which is movable from a forward position adjacent to .theclamping mechanism to a rearward position. A device is also provided forsequentially feeding a plurality of contacts joined side-byside to acarrier strip in a step-wise fashion between the crimping jaws with theferrules of the contacts open downwardly, rather than upwardly as inprior stripcrimp machines. Initially, a wire is mounted in the clampingmechanism. The stripping mechanism is actuated to sever the insulationon the insulated wire and is shifted rearwardly to strip the severedinsulation from the wire. After the stripping mechanism reaches itsrearward position, the upper crimping jaw is moved downwardly to sever acontact from the carrier strip and to crimp the ferrule of the contactto the bared end portion of the wire. As the upper jaw rises after thecrimping operation, the contact feeding mechanism automatically indexesan additional contact into position between the crimping jaws-forcrimping to another wire. Thus, by the present invention, the contact ismoved to a stationary wire for crimping, rather than the wire beingmoved to the contact. The apparatus of the invention is preferably inthe form of an attachment which is mounted in a-conventionalpressHowever, the componenets of the apparatus may be made an integralpart of a press. According to another desired feature of the invention,there is provided means for adjusting the apparatus to accommodatefordifferent wire sizes without requiring removal or replacement of partsin the apparatus. The apparatus is relatively simple in construction andoperation and permits rapid crimping of contacts onto wires.

Other aspects and advantages of the invention become more apparent fromthe following description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded view-of astrip-crimp attachment embodying the features of the present inventionwhich may be mounted on a conventional press with the wire strippingmechanism shown in its rearward position;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the wire clamping andinsulation stripping mechanisms of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1shown mounted to a press ram and table, with a transparent cover mountedon the attachment and the wire stripping mechanism shown in its forwardposition;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2 showing thedetails of construction of the wire clamping mechanism:

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken along line 5-5of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the wire insulation stripping mechanismutilized inthe apparatus of the present sectional view taken alonginvention with an insulated wire shown in position for stripping. suchmechanism being shown in its forward position adjacent to the lowercrimping jaw;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the wire insulation strippingmechanism with the movable wire severing blade shown in its cuttingposition;

FIG. 8 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 7showing the details of construction of the insulation severing blades;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the adjustable device which permits differentsize wires to be stripped and crimped in the apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 12 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is an end view taken in the direction of arrow 14 in FIG. 11;

FIG. 15 is an exploded view of the contact feeding mechanism employed inthe apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is an end view of the contact feeding mechanism, a portion beingshown in section to show thedetails of the interior structure thereof;

FIG. 17 is a partial vertical sectional view taken along line 17-17 ofFIG. 16 showing details of the contact feeding mechanism in the positionwhen the press ram is in its upper position;

FIG. 18 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 18-18 of FIG.16 showing parts of the feeding mechanism when the press is in its upperposition;

FIG. 19 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 18 showing the position ofthe parts when the press ram is in its lower position;

FIG. 20 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the contacts ofthe invention joined to a carrier strip,

, such contacts being shown inverted from their normal position so thatthe details of the structure thereof may be more easily seen;

FIGS. 21, 22, and 23 are fragmentary vertical sectional views showingthe various positions of the upper crimping jaw as it is moveddownwardly to sever a contact from its carrier strip and to crimp theferrule of the contact to the bared end portion of a stripped wire; and

FIG. 24 is a diagramatic illustration of a simplified pneumatic andelectrical control system suitable for use in the apparatus of theinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings indetail, there is shown the strip-crimp apparatus of the presentinvention, generally designated 30, shown in the form of an attachmentfor a conventional press. The attachment comprises a die set consistingof a top plate 32 and a bottom plate 34. The top plate is formed'with anintegral upstanding shank 36. As seen in FIG. 2, the shank 36 isattached to the ram 38 of a press, shown in broken lines. The bottomplate 34 is attached by a plurality of bolts 40, only one being shown,to the press table 42, also shown in broken lines. Two verticallyextending guide posts 44 are fixed to the bottom plate 34. The

tops of the guide posts 44 are slidable in bushings 46 mounted inapertures 48 in the top plate 32.

An upper contact crimping jaw 50 is fixed to the top plate 32 while alower crimping jaw 52 is mounted on the bottom plate 34. A verticallyextending cylindrical stop member 54 is mounted on the bottom plate 34in vertical alignment with a stop member 56 mounted on the top plate, asseen in FIG. 8. The length of the stop members are selected such thatwhen the top plate 32 is lowered by the ram 38 to its lowermost positionas permitted by the stop members, the upper crimping jaw 50 will beproperly disposed with respect with the lower jaw 52 so that a U-sectionferrule or crimp pot of a contact will be fully crimped upon a wire inthe lower aw.

The attachment 30 includes basically three different mechanisms, namely:a wire clamping mechanism 58, a wire insulation stripping mechanism 60,and a contact feeding mechanism 62. The wire clamping mechanism 58 ismounted in a recess 64 formed in' the front face 66 of the bottom plate34. The wire insulation stripping mechanism 60 is mounted on top of thebottom plate 34 for oscillatable movement between a forward positionadjacent to the clamping mechanism 58 as seen in FIG. 2 to a rearwardposition as seen in FIG. 1. The contact feeding mechanism 62 is mountedon the bottom of the top plate 32. This mechanism is designed tosequentially feed a plurality of contacts 68 joined side by side to acarrier strip 70 between the crimping jaws 50 and 52. As best seen inFIG. 20, each contact is formed with an integral U-section ferrule orcrimping pot 72. The strip of contacts 68 are mounted on a reel. notshown, which is rotatable about a horizontally extending axis adjacentto the attachment 30. The contacts are fed through the feeding mechanismwith the U-section ferrules 72 open downwardly.

A transparent plastic cover 74, seen in FIGS. 2 and 8, covers the frontand the sides of the attachment 30. A normally open microswitch 76mounted along one of the sides of the bottom plate 34 is closed when thecover is mounted on the attachment so that the control circuit whichoperates the apparatus cannot be energized without the cover being inplace.

The structure of the wire clamping mechanism 58 is best seen in FIGS.3-5. The mechanism comprises a generally square plate 80 which has arecess 82 formed in the front face thereof. The bottom of the recess iscovered by a cover plate 84. A generally V-shaped notch 86,is formedthrough the plates 80 and 84. A pis ton 88 is slidable in a horizontallyextending bore 90 formed in the plate 80. The outer end of the bore isclosed by a fixed cylindrical element 92 retained in the bore by a snapring 94. The element 92 is formed with a rod 96 upon which the piston 88is slidably mounted. The forward portion 98 of the piston 88 behindplate 84 is cut in half to provide a flat side surface 100 which is bestseen in FIG. 2. Such surface slides against the flat rear surface of thecover plate 84. An integral extension 102 protrudes outwardly from theend face 104 a of the end portion 98 of the piston 88. As seen in FIG.2, the extension 102 has a generally square cross section. The end ofthe extension is somewhat rounded. A coil spring 106 is mounted undercompression between the extension 102 and a set screw 108 mounted in arelatively small passage 110 which is aligned with the bore 90. As willbe appreciated, the spring 106 biases the piston 88 in the leftwarddirection as viewed in FIG. 3

so that the end face 104 of the piston is normally spaced from the rightside of the notch 86.

The piston 88 is actuated by air which is introduced into the annularspace between the fixed element 92 in the bore 90 and the piston throughan upstanding passageway 112. The bottom of the passageway 112 is closedby a plug 113. A horizontally extending passage 114 extends from thepassageway 112 to the rear face 116 of the plate 80. The passage 114registers with a passage 118 which opens at the bottom of the recess 64in the bottom plate 34. The passage 118 extends to the rear of the plate34 for connection to an air hose, not shown. Air introduced intothetpassages 118 and 114 will pass through passageway 112 to the bore 90to urge the piston 88 in the rightward direction as viewed in FIG. 3against the force of the spring 106. An L-shaped clamping insert member120, which forms the right side of the notch 86, is mounted on the plate80 of the clamping mechanism. A plurality of vertically extending teethor ridges 122 are formed on the surface 104 of the piston 88 and on'theopposing surface of the member 120. The vertically extending teeth 122are shaped to resist movement of a wire held therebetween in thedirection of the stripping mechanism 60 or upwardly, as viewed in FIG.5. Thus, the teeth 122 serve to firmly grip an insulated wire mounted inthe notch 86 when the piston 88 is forced in the rightward direction, asviewed in FIG. 3, as the result of air being introduced under pressurethrough the passageway 112.

When the air pressure is reduced, the spring 106 will return the piston88 to its open position, thus allowing the wire to be removed from thenotch 86.

The wire insulation stripping mechanism 60 comprises a block 124 whichis slidable on a dovetailshaped track 126 fixed on the top surface ofthe plate 34. A plate 128 is also slidably mounted on the track 126. Therear of the plate 128 is formed with an upstanding shoulder 130. Thelower crimping jaw 52 is fixedly mounted on the forward end of slidableplate 128. A stop element 132 is also mounted on the plate 128 in frontof the jaw 52. The stop element is formed with a generally U-shapedupwardly opening groove 134 which is aligned with a generally V-shapednotch 136 formed in the jaw 52. When the block 124 is positioned in itsforwardmost position on the track 126, the front surface 138 of theplate 128 is flush with thefront surface of the track 126 and thus is inengagement with the rear surface of the wire clamping mechanism 58. Insuch forwardmost position of the block 124, the lower jaw 52 is disposeda short distance forwardly of the upper jaw as best seen in FIG. 2. Whenthe block 124 is shifted rearwardly on the track 126, the back surfaceof the block will engage the upstanding shoulder on the plate 128thereby moving the plate and thus the lower jaw rearwardly a distancesufficient to bring the lower jaw into direct vertical alignment underthe upper jaw 50. v

The block 124 of the stripping mechanism is moved between its forwardand rearward positions by a pneumatic piston and cylinder assembly 142which is mounted on a rearwardly extending mounting bracket 144 fixed tothe rear of the bottom plate 34. The assembly 142 comprises a piston 146which is slidable in a cylinder 148. The piston is urged in a forwarddirection by means of a coil spring 150. The piston rod 152 extendsforwardly from the cylinder 148 and terminates in a coupling sleeve 154which is fixed to an upstanding flange 156 on the block 124. Theopposite end of the piston rod 152 extends rearwardly from the cylinder148 and carries a pair of axially adjustable sleeves 158 and 160. A pairof microswitches 162 and 164 are mounted on the mounting bracket 144 inalignment with the sleeves 158 and 160. When the slide block 124 is inits forwardmost position, as viewed in FIG. 2, the sleeve 158 actuatesthe switch 162, and when the block is in its rearwardmost position, asseen in FIG. 1, the sleeve actuates the switch 164. An opening 165 inthe wall of the cylinder 148 is connected to an air hose, not shown. Airpressure introduced into the cylinder through hole 165 shifts piston 146rearwardly to retract the stripping mechanism 60 from the wire clampingmechanism 58.

As seen in FIGS 2 and 6, a cylindrical rod 166 is slidably mounted in apassage 167 in an upstanding flange 168 formed on the forward portion ofthe block 124. A nut 170 threaded to the rear of the rod 166 permitsaxial adjustment of the rod in the passage 167. The front face 172 ofthe rod provides a stop for the end of an insulated wire 174 which ispositioned by an operator throughthe notch 86 in the clamping mechanism,the groove 134 in the stop 132 and the notch 136 in the anvil 52, asseen in FIG. 6. An aperture 175 is formed in the cover 74 in front oftheseparts to permit access thereto.

The stripping mechanism includes a pair of insulation severing blades176 and 178. The blade 176 is pivotal in a vertical direction about ahorizontally extending pin 180 whilethe blade 178 is positioned behindthe blade 176 and is fixed to the block 124. The blades 176 and 178 areformed with opposed V-shaped notches 181 and 182, respectively, whichdefine therebetween a wire-receiving opening 184, as seen in FIG. 7. Themovable blade 176 is biased upwardly to a normally open position bymeans of a coil spring 186 which is fixed at one end to an extension 188of the blade and at the other end to a pin 1 90 fixed to the block 124.The extension 188 is formed with a downward extending projection 192which seats on top of a piston 194. The piston is slidable in avertically extending bore 196 formed in the block 124. The borecommunicates through a passageway 197 to an air hose 198. Introductionof air through the hose 198 shifts the piston 194 upwardly so that theblade 176 will move downwardly to sever insulation on the wire 174positioned between the two blades. After the insulation is severed, theblock 124 is shifted rearwardly on the track 126, thereby stripping thesevered insulation from the end of the wire, thus providing a bared endportion of the wire to which the ferrule of the contact 68 may becrimped. As the block 124 moves rearwardly, the insulation which isstripped from the wire falls through a passageway 199 in the block andthrough a vertical slot 200 which extends through the plate 128, track126 and bottom plate 34. In the event the severed insulation does notfall by itself through the passageway 199, when the block 124 reachesits rearwardmost position and the press ram 38 is lowered to perform acrimping operation, a generally U-shaped wire 202 mounted on a block 204on the bottom of the top plate 32 will extend into the upper end of thepassage 198 between the front surface 172 of the rod 166 and the rear ofthe staionary severing blade 178 to force the insulation downwardlythrough the passages 199 and 200.

As stated previously, when the block 124 is moved to its rearwardposition, it engages the shoulder 130 on the plate 128 thereby shiftingthe lower crimping jaw 52 rearwardly a sufficient distance to becomevertically aligned with the upper crimping jaw 50. This movement of thejaw 52 permits the use of shorter wires for crimping a contact theretosince the contact may be crimped to the immediate end of the wire. Theextent of rearward movement of the lower jaw which occurs after thestripping operation and, hence, the length of wire to which the contactis crimped may be adjusted by means of an Allen set screw 206 mounted ona downwardly extending flange 207 on the rear of plate 128. This screwengages a stop 208 provided on the bracket 144 in alignment with thescrew. Also, the extent of forward movement of the plate 128 relative tothe track 126 may be screw engages a stop 208 provided on the bracket144 in alignment with the screw. Also, the extent of forward movement ofthe plate 128 relative to the track 126 may be adjusted by means of asecond Allen set screw 210 which is threaded in the rear of a passage212 that extends forwardly through the track 126, the plate 80, and thecover 74, as seen in FIG. 2. The rear of the set screw 210 abuts theflange 207 on the plate 128. The set screw 210 has a longitudinalextending passage therethrough in alignment with the set screw 206.Thus, by inserting suitable tools through the passage 212, the operatormay rotate the screws 206 and 210 to adjust for the extent of both therearward and forward movement of the plate 128. A set screw 213 ismounted through the side of the plate 128 to fix the position of theAllen screw 206 and a second set screw 214 is mounted in the track 126to fix the position of Allen screw 210.

Reference is now made to FIG. 10 which shows the details ofconfiguration of the insulation severing blades 176 and 178. The regionsof the blades adjacent the V-shaped notches 181 and 182 are bevelled toprovide cutting faces 215 and 216, respectively. Typically, the cuttingfaces of blades in a conventional insulation stripping mechanism aredisposed at equal angles of about 45 each with respect to thelongitudinal axis of the insulated wire 174 which is disposed betweenthe blades. However, with such an arrangement, occasionally the forwardend of the wire will deflect upwardly when the insulation strippingmechanism is retracted to its rearward position, causing the wire tobecome nicked or scarred. In order to avoid this problem, the angle ofthe cutting face 216 may be made greater than the angle of the cuttingface 214 with respect to the longitudinal axis of the wire 174.Preferably, the angle of the cutting face 215 is about 45 while theangle of the cutting face 216 is about 75.

As stated previously herein, in conventional stripcrimp machines,various parts must be replaced in order to accommodate for differentsize or gauge wires. Means are provided on the apparatus of the presentinvcntion for simply and rapidly altering the stroke of the movableinsulation severing blade 176 so that different size wires may bestripped of their insulation. Such means comprises a shaft 218 which isthreadedly engaged in the slide block 124 below a downwardly facingshoulder 220 formed on an end section of the movable blade 176 (see FIG.7). The shaft is horizontally positioned in the block 124 with itsforward end 222 extending outside the block a sufficient distance so asto protrude through a bore 224 formed in the wire clamping mechanism 58.A slot 226 is formed in the end face 228 of the shaft 218 for receivinga suitable tool to rotate the shaft in the block 124. The shaft 218 isformed with a plurality of ramps 230 which are aligned with the shoulder220 on the blade 176. Each ramp is disposed a distance from thelongitudinal axis 232 of the shaft 218 different from the other ramps.The height of each ramp is selected so that when an insulated wire ofpredetermined standard gauge is positioned between the blades 176 and178, the movable blade will cut the insulation on the wire withoutnicking the wire. Six ramps 230 are shown on the shaft 218 by way ofexample only. Each ramp corresponds to a standard wire gauge. The wiregauges are indicated by the indicia appearing on the front face of thewire clamping mechanism 58 about the bore 224. A pointer 234 is providedon the end face 228 of the shaft 218 for selecting the desired wiregauge.

After the shaft 218 has been rotated to the appropri ate position for aselected wire gauge, sometimes the insulation on the wire is not fullycut or the wire is still slightly nicked due to differences intolerances of the blades 176 and 178 mounted on the apparatus. Thus, itis desirable to provide a fine adjustment of the position of the ramps230 will respect to the movable blade 176. Such fine adjustment isprovided by making the ramps 230 inclined with respect to thelongitudinal axis 232 of the shaft 218 so that the rear portions of theramps 230 are lower than the forward portions thereof. Conversely, theforward portions of the ramps could be made lower than the rear portionsif desired. It can be appreciated that by rotating the shaft 218 acomplete revolution or 360 to shift the shaft longitudinally, the regionof the ramp .230 which engages the shoulder 220 on the movable blade 176will be either higher or lower depending upon the direction of rotationof the shaft. With the ramps 230 inclined as shown in FIG. 11 when theshaft is rotated in the clockwise direction a full revolution, forexample, a higher region of a selected ramp 230 will engage the shoulder220 to increase the size of the cutting opening 184 between theinsulation severing blades. Thus, if the adjustment of the shaft 218 byaligning the pointer 234 with the appropriate wire gauge indicia doesnot effect complete severing of the insulation on the wire or the wireis nicked, a finer adjustment of the size of the wire opening 184 can beachieved by rotating theshaft 218 a full revolution so that the shoulder220 on the movable cutting blade will abut a different region of theselected ramp 230. A set screw 236 mounted in the side of the slideblock 124 carries a spring loaded ball 238 which engages one of aplurality of elongated recesses 240 formed in the shaft 218 to provide adetent arrangement to releasably retain the shaft in a selectedposition.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 15-19 of the drawings which illustratethe details of construction of the contact feeding mechanism 62. Theupper crimping jaw 50 is an integral part of the contact feedingmechanism. In general, this mechanism functions to sequentially feed thecarrier strip laterally therethrough so that the ferrules or crimpingpots 72 on the contacts joined to the strip pass under the jaw-50 in astepwise fashion. Upon lowering of the press ram 38, a contact issevered from the strip 70 and is crimped to a bared end portion of wireheld in the jaw 52 by the clamping mechanism 58. An L-shaped bracket 242mounted on the bottom of the top plate 32 carries a cylindrical guide244 which is aligned with the contact feeding mechanism 62. The strip 70passes through the guide 244 and through an opening, not shown, in thecover 74 to a region outside the attachment 30.

More specifically. the contact feeding mechanism 62 comprises a sliderblock 246 which is slidable in a transverse slow 248 formed in a housing240. The housing is fixed to top plate 32. A vertical slot 252 in thehousing communicates with the slot 248. A rear end plate 254 is mountedon one side of the housing to the rear of the slot 252 while a secondend plate 256 is mounted on the same side of the housing forwardly ofthe slot 252. An'end plate 258 is mounted on the opposite side of thehousing. A front cover plate 260 is mounted on the front face of thehousing, and a bottom cover plate 262 closes the bottom of the housing.A channel 264 is formed on the upper face of the bottom plate 262. Thecarrier strip 70 with the contacts joined thereto is slidable in thechannel 264. A vertical slot 266 is formed in the bottom plate 262 inalignment with the slot 252 in the housing.- A recess'268 is formed inthe slider block 246 in alignment with the slots 252 and 266 andadjacent to the end plates 254 and 256. The bottom 270 of the recess 268is slanted downwardly at an angle of about 45, as best seen in FIGS. 18and 19.

A coil spring 272 urges the slider block 246 in the rightward directionas viewed in FIGS. 18 and 19.

Two plates 274 and 276 are fixedly mounted on the end plate 258. Theupper crimping jaw 50 is an integral part of theplate 274. A hook 278extends downwardly from the end plate 276. The hook is positioned behindthe jaw 50. An index pawl 280 is pivotally mounted by means of a pivotpin 284 in a vertical slot 282 opening at the bottom of the slider block246. A spring 286 hiases the pawl 280 in a downward direction so thatthe pawl will engage in openings 288 formed in the carrier strip 70. Aspring arm. 290 is fixedly mounted at one end to the bottom of the plate262. The other end of the arm 290 carries a back stop 292 which extendsupwardly through a vertically extending slot 294 formed in the plate262. The back stop engages in the openings 288 on the carrier strip 70from the bottom.

A cam 296 is fixedly mounted on the bottom plate 34 of the attachment 30in alignment with the slots 252 and 266 inthe feeding mechanism 62. Thecam is formed with a downwardly facing inclined surface 298 whichextends upwardly at an angle of about 45. When the top plate 32 of thedie set is in its normal upper position, a vertical end surface 300 onthe cam 296 engages the right hand side 302 of the slider block 246 asseen'in FIG. 17 and 18. When the top plate 32 is lowered to perform acrimping operation, the slider block 246 will shift in a rightwarddirection under the force of a spring 272 as seen in FIG. 19 so that thesurface 270 on the block will become disposed under the inclined surface298 onthe cam 296. When the top plate 32 is raised to its upper positionafter a crimping operation, the slider block 246 will be shifted in aleftward direction due to the cooperative action between the inclinedsurfaces 270 and 298 on the block and the cam 296, respectively. Suchleftward movement of the slider block 246 causes the pawl 280 disposedin an opening 288 in the carrier strip 70 to index the strip oneposition to locate an additional contact 68 under the crimping jaw 50.The spring biased backstop 292 prevents the carrier strip 70 fromshifting to the right or rearwardly in the channel 264 when the sliderblock 246 is shifted in the rightward direction under the force ofspring 272 when the top plate 32 is lowered. Thus, with each cycle ofdownward and upward movement of the top plate 32 attached to the pressram 38, the strip is indexed to the left. Thus, the contact feedingmechanism 62 sequentially feeds a plurality of contacts 68 in a stepwisefashion under the crimping jaw 50.

A rod 304 is mounted for vertical movement in a slot 306 formed in theend plate 258 of the feeding mechanism. The rod is biased downwardly bya spring 308. A foot 310 is formed on the bottom of the rod 304 and ispositioned in front of the jaw 50. This spring biased pressure footengages the carrier strip 70 to prevent the same from lifting during thecrimping operation as will be seen later herein.

A vertical slot 312 is formed in the front cover plate 260 of thefeeding mechanism. This slot is adapted to receive a slotted tool, notshown, which will engage at its upper surface with a downwardly facingshoulder 314 formed on the pawl 280 and on its bottom surface with thespring arm 290 to, spread the pawl and the backstop 292 apart, thusallowing the carrier strip 70 to be withdrawn rearwardly-from thecontact-feeding mechanism, if desired.

As seen in FIG. 1, stop member 316 is fixed to the slide block 124. Thismember will engage the block 318 (see FIG. 8) mounted on the bottom ofthe top plate 32 in the event the insulation stripping mechanism 60 isin its forward position when the press ram is lowered. When theinsulation stripping mechanism is in its rearward position, the top ofthe stop member 316 will be received in a recess 320 formed in thebottom surface of the top plate 32 when the ram is lowered. Thisarrangement assures that the top plate 32 of the die set cannot belowered until the stripping mechanism 60 is located in its rearwardmostposition out of the path of movement of the contact feeding device andthe crimping jaw 50 carried'thereby.

As seen in FIG. 9, a vertically adjustable actuating rod 322 is mountedon the top plate 32. This rod engages a microswitch 324 mounted on thebracket 144 which carries the pneumatic piston and cylinder arrangement142. The rod 322 is formed with a bevelled shoulder 325 which leads toan' enlarged upper section 326 that actuates the switch 324 when the topplate 32 is lowered to perform a crimping operation.

The various steps of the crimping operation of the invention are bestseen by referring to FIGS. 21 to 23. As seen in FIG. 21, when the topplate 32 of the die set is lowered, the crimping jaw 50 is moveddownwardly in alignment with the jaw 52. During this downward movementof the jaw 50, the contact feeding mechanism 62 carries the carrierstrip 70 for the contacts 68 downwardly until the strip engages the topsurface of the stop 132. The U-section ferrule 72 of one contact 68joined to the strip 70 is open downwardly in a position immediatelyabove the bared end portion of the wire 174. During further downwardmovement of the top plate 32, the jaw 50 will shear the contact 68 awayfrom the carrier strip. The spring biased pressure foot 310 will preventthe carrier strip from lifting during the shearing step. Furtherdownward movement of the top plate will cause the ferrule 72 to embracethe bared end section of the wire 174 and the jaws 50 and 52 willcooperate to crimp the ferrule to the wire as seen, in FIG. 23. When thepress ram-38 rises, the hook 278 will engage under the contact 60 tolift the contact out of the lower jaw 52. Further upward movement of themechanism 62 causes the carrier strip 70 to be indexed one position tobring an additional contact into alignment under the jaw 50 by thecooperative action of the cam 296 with the slider block 246, asexplained previously.

Reference is now made to FIG. 24 which diagramatically illustrates asimplified pneumatic and electrical control system, generally designated350, for the apparatus of the present invention. The control systemincludes three air lines 352, 354, and 356 which are connected to amanifold 358. Air pressure is introduced into the manifold through aninlet line 360. The air is controlled by a solenoid valve 362. The line352 is coupled to the passage 118 which opens into the passage 114 inthe wire clamping mechanism 58. The line 354 is coupled to the hose 198leading to the bore 196 in the insulation stripping mechanism 60. Theline 356 is connected to the air inlet port 165 in the cylinder 148 ofthe pneumatic piston-cylinder assembly 142.

The control system 350 also includes the microswitches 76, 162,164, and324, as well as a foot switch 364 and a press clutch release solenoid366. The solenoid 366 operates a one shot clutch (not shown) to couplethe press ram 38 to a .continuously running motor (not shown) so thatthe ram, which is normally in its top dead center position, is driventhrough a working, that is, downward stroke and is automaticallyreturned to its top dead center position. The movable contacts ofswitches 76, 162, 164, 324 and 364 are shown in the position they wouldassume when the cover 74 is mounted on the attachment 30, closing thesafety switch 76, and with the stripping mechanism 60 in its forwardposition wherein the switch 162 is closed. In this position of theswitches, a capacitor 368 is charged by a 24 volt DC power source. Whenthe foot switch 364 is actuated by the operator to lower the movablecontact 370 to engage fixed contact 372, a circuit including theswitches 76, 162 and a latching coil 374 of a latching relay 376 isclosed so that the capacitor 368 will discharge to energize the coil.This causes a movable contact 378 of the relay 376 to rise and engage afixed contact 380, thereby closing a power circuit including the coil382 of the solenoid valve 362. Preferably, a 1 l voltalternating currentpower supply is connected in the circuit including the coil 382.Energization of the coil opens the valve 362, thereby supplying airpressure to the lines 352, 354 and 356 through the manifold 358.Introduction of air into these lines closes the wire clamping mechanism58, closes the insulation stripping blade 176 and retracts the piston146 of the pneumatic piston-cylinder assembly 142 in sequence. Thesequence of movement of the parts results from the particular diametersof the pistons utilized in the wire clamping mechanism 58, insulationsevering blade assembly, and the insulation stripping retractioncylinder 148. The latching relay 376 includes a second movable contact384 which is connected to a coil 386 of a standard relay 388. The coil386 is connected to the movable contact 390 of the switch 164. When thelatching coil 374 is energized by depression of the foot switch 364, thecontact 384 will rise to engage a fixed contact 392 which is connectedto one terminal of a 24 DC power supply, the other terminal beingconnected the coil 386 of the relay 388. The relay 388 includes a singlepole double throw switch 396. The movable contact 398 and a fixedcontact 400 of the switch 396 are normally engaged to close a circuitwhich includes a capacitor 402 and a l 10 volt DC power source so thatthe capacitor is normally charged. When the coil 386 of the relay isenergized upon the closing of the switch 164, the movable contact 389lifts to engage fixed contact 404 whereby the capacitor 402 dischargesto the press clutch release solenoid 366 so that the press ram will movethrough its downward stroke to effect a crimping operation. As the ramapproaches its lower position, the switch 324 is closed by the actuatingrod 322 on the top plate 32 thereby energizing an unlatching coil 406 ofthe latching relay 376. This allows the relay 376 to return to itsnormal position and thereby open the electrical circuit to the coil 382of the air solenoid valve 362. With the electric power to the valve off,the valve closes, stopping the flow of air to the wire clampingmechanism, the insulation stripping mechanism and the strippingmechanism retract cylinder 142. These devices are all spring loaded, sothat upon the removal of air pressure, the wire clamping mechanismopens, the stripping blades open, and the piston 146 in the retractcylinder assembly 142 returns toits full forward position. With the airpressure to these devices off, the press completes its cycle by risingto its top dead center position. When the retract piston 146 is returnedto its forwardmost position by the spring 150, the switch 164 opens tode-energize the coil 386, thus disabling the relay 388. When theoperator raises his foot off the foot switch 364, the cycle through thefoot switch is completed, allowing the capacitors 368 and 402 to berecharged. The machine is now ready for another complete cycle ofoperation.

The complete operation of the apparatus is as follows. The operatorinserts an insulated wire 174 through the aperture 175 in cover 174, thenotch 86 in the clamping mechanism 58, the groove 134 in the stop 132,the notch 136 in the anvil 52 and the opening 184 between the insulationsevering blades 176 and 178 until the end of the wire abuts the stopmember 166. After the wire has been inserted to the stop, the operatoractivates the foot switch 364. This opens the air solenoid valve 362 toclose the wire clamping mechanism 58, close the insulation severingblades 176 and 178 to cut through the wire insulation, and retract thepiston 146 to shift the stripping mechanism from its forward to itsrearward position, thereby stripping the severed insulation from thewire. As the stripping mechanism 60 moves to its rearward position, thejaw 52 on the plate 128 is moved directly under the stripped portion ofthe wire and in alignment with the jaw 50 on-the top plate 32. When thestripping mechanism reaches its full extreme of travel away from theclamping mechanism, the switch 164 is actuated automatically. Actuatingthis switch completes the electrical circuit through the coil 386 ofrelay 388, thereby energizing the press clutch release solenoid 366.Actuation of the solenoid allows the press to move through its downwardstroke carrying a contact 68 on the strip downwardly toward the jaw 52.After carrier strip 70 engages the stop 132, the crimping jaw 50 willshear the contact 68 from the strip. Further downward movement of thejaw will cause the crimping ferrule 72 to embrace the hated end portionof the wire 174. Further travel in the downward direction causes theferrule to become crimpecl to the wire in the jaw 52. As the pressapproaches its full downward position, the rod 322 on the top plate 32closes the switch 324, unlatching the relay 376 and, therefore. openingthe electrical circuit to the air solenoid valve 362. The valve closes,thus stopping the flow of air to the lines 352, 354 and 356. The wireclamping mechanism 58 and insulation stripping blades open and thespring loaded piston 146 of the retraction assembly 142 returns theslide block 124 of the stripping mechanism 60 to its forward position.On the up stroke of the ram press, the switch 324 opens to unlatch therelay 376, and the hook 278 on the contact feeding mechanism lifts thecontact 68 out of the jaw 52. The upward motion of the ram also suppliesthe motion through the cam 296 to advance the next contact into positionunder the crimping jaw 50 for an additional crimping operation. When theram has reached its full upward position, the operator removes his footfrom the switch 364, the capacitors 368 and 402 are recharged so thatthe machine is ready for another complete cycle of operation.

It will be appreciated that various modifications in the apparatus couldbe made without departing from the invention. For example, the wireinsulation stripping mechanism 60 and the wire clamping mechanism 58could be mounted directly to the press table and the contact feedingmechanism 62 could be connected directly to the press ram. However, itwill be appreciated that by the construction of the invention asillustrated in the drawings, the apparatus of the invention is in theform of an attachment which may be conveniently mounted on anyconventional press. In addition, the contact feeding mechanism couldbemounted on the bottom plate 34 and the cam 296 mounted on the top plate32 assuming, of course, that the crimping jaw 50 and hook 278 remain onthe top plate 32. In addition, the crimping jaws 50 and 52 could bereversed if desired. Other modifications within the scope of theinvention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. An attachment for a press for stripping the insulation from an endportion of an insulated wire and crimping a U-section ferrule forming apart of an electrical contact to the bared end portion of the wirecomprising:

a die set including a top plate and a bottom plate, said top plate beingadapted to be fixed to the press ram and the bottom plate being adaptedto be fixed to the press table, upper and lower crimping jaws connectedto said top and bottom plates, respectively;

wire-clamping means and insulation-stripping means each mounted on saidbottom plate adjacent to said lower crimping jaw, and insulationseveringblades being provided on said insulation stripping means;

means mounting said insulation-stripping means for gagement with aninsulated wire;

means for operating said insulation-severing blades while saidinsulation-stripping means is in said forward position and said wire isheld by said wireclamping means to sever the insulation on said wire;

means forshifting said insulation-stripping means to said rearwardposition while said wire is held by said wire-clamping means to stripthe severed insulation from said wire; and

means for operating said press ram upon movement of saidinsulation-stripping means to said rearward position to lower said uppercrimping jaw into engage mentwith. said lower crimping jaw, saidlowering of said upper crimping jaw causing one of said contacts to movedownwardly sothat said ferrule will embrace the bared end portion ofsaid wire and become crimped thereto.

2. An attachment as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said contact feedingmeans sequentially feeds a plurality of said contacts joined side byside to a carrier strip in a stepwise fashion between said crimpingjaws; and said upper crimping jaw severs each consecutive contact fromsaid carrier strip during lowering of said top plate by said press ram.3. An attachment as set forth in claim 2 including: stop means on saidbottom plate engageable by said carrier strip prior to crimping of saidferrule to said v bared end portion of said wire. 4. An attachment asset forth in claim 1 including:

' hook means carried by said top plate operable to remove said wire witha contact crimped thereto from said lower crimping jaw during theraising of said top plate by said press ram.

5. An attachment as set forth in claim 2 wherein:

said contact feeding means is mounted on'said top plate and includespawl ,means engageable with said carrier strip: and I cam means on saidbottom plate engageable by said feeding means to actuate said pawl meansduring raising of said top plate by said press ram to index said carrierstrip one position and thereby bring an additional contact into positionfor crimping to a wire.

6. An attachment as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said lower crimping jaw is positioned between said wire-clamping meansand said insulation-severing blades.

7. An attachment as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said contact feeding means is mounted on said top platev andsequentially feeds a plurality of said contacts joined side by side to acarrier strip in a stepwise fashion below said upper crimping jaw;

and

said crimping jaw severs each consecutive contact from said carrierstrip during lowering of said top plate.

8. An attachment as set forth in claim 7 including:

stop means on said bottom plate adjacent said lower crimping jaw andengageable by said carrier strip prior to crimping of said ferrule tosaid bared end portion of said wire.

9. An attachment as set forth in claim 7 including:

hook means carried by said top plate operable to remove said wire with acontact crimped thereto from said lower crimping jaw during the raisingof said top plate by said press ram.

10. An attachment as set forth in claim 7 wherein:

said contact feeding means includes a cam-follower and a pawl pivotallyconnected to said cam follower. said pawl being engageable with saidcarrier strip; and

cam means on said bottom plate engageable by said cam follower toactuate said pawl during raising of said top plate by said press ram toindex said carrier strip one position and thereby bring an additionalcontact into position for crimping to a wire.

11. An attachment as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said insulation-stripping means includes a slide member carrying saidinsulation-stripping blades;

said mounting means comprises a track upon which said slide member isoscillatable between the forward and rearward positions of saidinsulationstripping means;

a plate slidable relative to both said track and said slide member andmovable in'the same direction as said slide member, said lower crimpingjaw being fixed to said slidable plate and being positioned forward ofsaid upper crimping jaw when said slidable plate and slide member are intheir forwardmost positions relative to said track;

a shoulder adjacent to the rear of said slidable plate engageable bysaid slide member when the latter shifts rearwardly on said track tosaid rearward position thereby shifting said slidable plate rearwardly;and

stop means on said bottom plate engageable with said slidable plate tolimit the rearward movement thereof such that said lower crimping jawbecomes vertically aligned with said upper crimping jaw upon said slidemember reaching said rearward position.

12. An attachment as set forth in claim 1 wherein saidinsulation-stripping blades include a fixed blade and a movable blade,and including:

adjustable stop means engageable with said movable blade to control thespacing between said blades to accommodate for different size wires tobe stripped.

13. An attachment as set forth in claim 12 wherein: said adjustable stopmeans comprises a shaft rotatable in said insulation-stripping means;said shaft having a plurality of ramps formed thereon lying in the pathof movement of said movable blade, each said ramp being spaced adistance from the longitudinal axis of said shaft different from theother ramps.

14. An attachment as set forth in claim 13 wherein:

said shaft is threadedly engaged in said insulationstripping meanswhereby rotation thereof will shift said shaft longitudinally; and

each said ramp is inclined at an angle relative to said axis of saidshaft so that one end of each ramp is closer to the axis than the otherend thereof.

15. An attachment as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said insulation-severing blades include a front blade adjacent to saidlower crimping jaw on said bottom plate and a rear blade behind saidfront blade, each said blade having a cutting face thereon; and

the angle of the cutting face on said front blade relative to ahorizontally extending axis positioned between said blades is less thanthe angle of the cutting face on said rear blade.

16.,An attachment as set forth in claim 15 wherein:

said front blade cutting face angle is about 45 and said rear bladecutting face angle is about 75.

17. An apparatus for stripping the insulation from an end portion of aninsulated wire and crimping a U- section ferrule forming a part of anelectrical contact to the bared end portion of the wire comprising:

a press including an upper movable member and a lower stationary member;

upper and lower crimping jaws connected to said members, respectively;

wire-clamping means and insulation-stripping means each mounted on saidstationary member, said insulation-stripping means being provided withinsulation-severing blades; means mounting said insulation-strippingmeans for movement from a forward position adjacent to saidwire-clamping means to a rearward position;

means for sequentially feeding a plurality of said contacts, with theferrule thereof open downwardly, between said crimping jaws;

means for moving said wire-clamping means into engagement with aninsulated wire;

means for operating said insulation severing blades while saidinsulation-stripping means is in said forward position and said wire isheld by said wireclamping means to sever the insulation on said wire;

means for shifting said insulation-stripping means to said rearwardposition while said wire is held by said wire-clamping means to stripthe severed insulation from said wire; and

means for lowering said movable member, upon movement of saidinsulation-stripping means to said rearward position, to lower saidupper crimping jaw into engagement with said lower crimping jaw, saidlowering of said movable member causing one of said contacts to movedownwardly so that said ferrule will embrace the bared end portion ofsaid wire and become crimped thereto.

18. An apparatus as set forth in claim 17 wherein:

said lower crimping jaw ispositioned between said wire-clamping meansand said insulation-severing blades.

19. An apparatus as set forth in claim 18 wherein:

said contact feeding means is fixed to said movable member andsequentially feeds a plurality of said contacts joined side by side to acarrier strip in a stepwise fashion below said upper crimping jaw; and

said upper crimping jaw severs each consecutive contact from saidcarrier strip during lowering of said movable member.

20. In an apparatus for severing the insulation on an insulated wire,including a support and fixed and movable insulation severing bladesmounted on said support, the improvement which comprises:

adjustable stop means engageable with said movable blade to control thespacing between said blades to accommodate for different size wires; andsaid stop means comprising a shaft rotatable in said support, said shafthaving a plurality of ramps formed thereon lying in the path of movementof said movable blade, each said ramp being spaced a distance from thelongitudinal axis of said shaft different from the other ramps, wherebyselective rotation of said shaft will bring a ramp having apredetermined elevation into position for abutting engagement with saidmovable blade. 21. An apparatus as set forth in claim 20 wherein:

17 said shaft is threadedly engaged in said support whereby rotationthereof will shift said shaft longitudinally; and each said ramp isinclined at an angle relative to said axis of said shaft so that one endof each ramp is closer to the axis than the other end thereof.

22. A method of attaching a contact having a U- section ferrule to aninsulated wire comprising the steps of:

positioning one of said contacts between upper and lower crimping jawswith said ferrule opening downwardly;

holding an insulated wire in a fixed clamp adjacent to said lowercrimping jaw;

severing the insulation on said wire and stripping the severedinsulation from said wire while holding said wire in said fixed clamp toprovide a bared end portion of said wire; and lowering said uppercrimping jaw to carry said contact downwardly until said ferruleembraces said bared end portion of said wire and becomes crimped theretoin said lower crimping jaw.

23. A method as set forth in claim 22 wherein a plurality of saidcontacts are joined side by side to a carrier strip and including theadditional steps of:

repeating the foregoing series of steps; and

sequentially feeding said plurality of contacts in a stepwise fashionbetween said crimping jaws following the crimping operation of saidforegoing series of steps. I

24. A method as set forth in claim 23 including the additional step of:

separating each said contact from said carrier during the lowering ofsaid upper crimping jaw.

25. A method as set forth in claim 24 wherein said contact is separatedfrom said carrier strip by:

' providing a stop member adjacent to said lower crimping jaw;

engaging said carrier strip with said stop member;

and

engaging said upper crimping jaw with said contact while said strip isengaged with said stop member to shear said contact from said stripduring the low- 18 ering of said upper crimping jaw.

26. A method as set forth in claim 22 including the steps of positioningsaid lower crimping jaw forwardly of said upper crimping jaw wheninitially holding said wire by said clamp; and

shifting said lower crimping jaw rearwardly to a position in verticalalignment with said upper crimping jaw following severing of saidinsulation and prior to lowering of said upper crimping jaw.

27. A method asset forth in claim 26 wherein:

said lower crimping jaw is shifted rearwardly simultaneously with saidstripping of said insulation from .said wire.

28. In an apparatus for stripping the insulation from an end portion ofan insulated wire and crimping a U- section ferrule forming a part of anelectrical contact to the bared end portion of the wire comprising acrimping jaw attachment to a press ram and table, wireclamping means andinsulation-stripping means, said insulation-stripping means includinginsulationsevering blades, means mounting said insulationstripping meansfor movement from a forward position adjacent to said clamping means toa rearward position, means for moving said wire-clamping means intoengagement with an insulated wire, means for operating saidinsulation-severing blades while said insulation stripping means is insaid forward position and said wire is held by said wire-clamping meansto sever the insulation on the wire, means for shifting theinsulationstripping means to said rearward position while said wire isheld by said wire-clamping means to strip the severed insulation fromsaid wire, the improvement which comprises:

means for sequentially feeding a plurality of said contacts joined sideby side to a carrier strip, with the ferrules thereof open downwardly,between said crimping jaws; and

means for lowering said press rarn upon movement of saidinsulation-stripping means to said rearward position to separate one ofsaid contacts from said strip and to crimp the ferrule thereof to saidwire.

1. An attachment for a press for stripping the insulation from an endportion of an insulated wire and crimping a U-section ferrule forming apart of an electrical contact to the bared end portion of the wirecomprising: a die set including a top plate and a bottom plate, said topplate being adapted to be fixed to the press ram and the bottom platebeing adapted to be fixed to the press table, upper and lower crimpingjaws connected to said top and bottom plates, respectively;wire-clamping means and insulation-stripping means each mounted on saidbottom plate adjacent to said lower crimping jaw, andinsulation-severing blades being provided on said insulation strippingmeans; means mounting said insulation-stripping means for movement froma forward position adjacent to said wire-clamping means to rearwardposition; means for sequentially feeding a plurality of said contacts,with the ferrules thereof open downwardly between said crimping jaws;means for moving said wire-clamping means into engagement with aninsulated wire; means for operating said insulation-severing bladeswhile said insulation-stripping means is in said forward position andsaid wire is held by said wire-clamping means to sever the insulation onsaid wire; means for shifting said insulation-stripping means to saidrearward position while said wire is held by said wire-clamping means tostrip the severed insulation from said wire; and means for operatingsaid press ram upon movement of said insulation-stripping means to saidrearward position to lower said upper crimping jaw into engagement withsaid lower crimping jaw, said lowering of said upper crimping jawcausing one of said contacts to move downwardly so that said ferrulewill embrace the bared end portion of said wire and become crimpedthereto.
 2. An attachment as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said contactfeeding means sequentially feeds a plurality of said contacts joinedside by side to a carrier strip in a stepwise fashion between saidcrimping jaws; and said upper crimping jaw severs each consecutivecontact from said carrier strip during lowering of said top plate bysaid press ram.
 3. An attachment as set forth in claim 2 including: stopmeans on said bottom plate engageable by said carrier strip prior tocrimping of said ferrule to said bared end portion of said wire.
 4. Anattachment as set forth in claim 1 including: hook means carried by saidtop plate operable to remove sAid wire with a contact crimped theretofrom said lower crimping jaw during the raising of said top plate bysaid press ram.
 5. An attachment as set forth in claim 2 wherein: saidcontact feeding means is mounted on said top plate and includes pawlmeans engageable with said carrier strip: and cam means on said bottomplate engageable by said feeding means to actuate said pawl means duringraising of said top plate by said press ram to index said carrier stripone position and thereby bring an additional contact into position forcrimping to a wire.
 6. An attachment as set forth in claim 1 wherein:said lower crimping jaw is positioned between said wire-clamping meansand said insulation-severing blades.
 7. An attachment as set forth inclaim 1 wherein: said contact feeding means is mounted on said top plateand sequentially feeds a plurality of said contacts joined side by sideto a carrier strip in a stepwise fashion below said upper crimping jaw;and said crimping jaw severs each consecutive contact from said carrierstrip during lowering of said top plate.
 8. An attachment as set forthin claim 7 including: stop means on said bottom plate adjacent saidlower crimping jaw and engageable by said carrier strip prior tocrimping of said ferrule to said bared end portion of said wire.
 9. Anattachment as set forth in claim 7 including: hook means carried by saidtop plate operable to remove said wire with a contact crimped theretofrom said lower crimping jaw during the raising of said top plate bysaid press ram.
 10. An attachment as set forth in claim 7 wherein: saidcontact feeding means includes a cam follower and a pawl pivotallyconnected to said cam follower, said pawl being engageable with saidcarrier strip; and cam means on said bottom plate engageable by said camfollower to actuate said pawl during raising of said top plate by saidpress ram to index said carrier strip one position and thereby bring anadditional contact into position for crimping to a wire.
 11. Anattachment as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said insulation-strippingmeans includes a slide member carrying said insulation-stripping blades;said mounting means comprises a track upon which said slide member isoscillatable between the forward and rearward positions of saidinsulation-stripping means; a plate slidable relative to both said trackand said slide member and movable in the same direction as said slidemember, said lower crimping jaw being fixed to said slidable plate andbeing positioned forward of said upper crimping jaw when said slidableplate and slide member are in their forwardmost positions relative tosaid track; a shoulder adjacent to the rear of said slidable plateengageable by said slide member when the latter shifts rearwardly onsaid track to said rearward position thereby shifting said slidableplate rearwardly; and stop means on said bottom plate engageable withsaid slidable plate to limit the rearward movement thereof such thatsaid lower crimping jaw becomes vertically aligned with said uppercrimping jaw upon said slide member reaching said rearward position. 12.An attachment as set forth in claim 1 wherein said insulation-strippingblades include a fixed blade and a movable blade, and including:adjustable stop means engageable with said movable blade to control thespacing between said blades to accommodate for different size wires tobe stripped.
 13. An attachment as set forth in claim 12 wherein: saidadjustable stop means comprises a shaft rotatable in saidinsulation-stripping means; said shaft having a plurality of rampsformed thereon lying in the path of movement of said movable blade, eachsaid ramp being spaced a distance from the longitudinal axis of saidshaft different from the other ramps.
 14. An attachment as set forth inclaim 13 wherein: said shaft is threadedly engaged in saidinsulation-stripping means whereby rotation thereof wilL shift saidshaft longitudinally; and each said ramp is inclined at an anglerelative to said axis of said shaft so that one end of each ramp iscloser to the axis than the other end thereof.
 15. An attachment as setforth in claim 1 wherein: said insulation-severing blades include afront blade adjacent to said lower crimping jaw on said bottom plate anda rear blade behind said front blade, each said blade having a cuttingface thereon; and the angle of the cutting face on said front bladerelative to a horizontally extending axis positioned between said bladesis less than the angle of the cutting face on said rear blade.
 16. Anattachment as set forth in claim 15 wherein: said front blade cuttingface angle is about 45* and said rear blade cutting face angle is about75*.
 17. An apparatus for stripping the insulation from an end portionof an insulated wire and crimping a U-section ferrule forming a part ofan electrical contact to the bared end portion of the wire comprising: apress including an upper movable member and a lower stationary member;upper and lower crimping jaws connected to said members, respectively;wire-clamping means and insulation-stripping means each mounted on saidstationary member, said insulation-stripping means being provided withinsulation-severing blades; means mounting said insulation-strippingmeans for movement from a forward position adjacent to saidwire-clamping means to a rearward position; means for sequentiallyfeeding a plurality of said contacts, with the ferrule thereof opendownwardly, between said crimping jaws; means for moving saidwire-clamping means into engagement with an insulated wire; means foroperating said insulation severing blades while saidinsulation-stripping means is in said forward position and said wire isheld by said wire-clamping means to sever the insulation on said wire;means for shifting said insulation-stripping means to said rearwardposition while said wire is held by said wire-clamping means to stripthe severed insulation from said wire; and means for lowering saidmovable member, upon movement of said insulation-stripping means to saidrearward position, to lower said upper crimping jaw into engagement withsaid lower crimping jaw, said lowering of said movable member causingone of said contacts to move downwardly so that said ferrule willembrace the bared end portion of said wire and become crimped thereto.18. An apparatus as set forth in claim 17 wherein: said lower crimpingjaw is positioned between said wire-clamping means and saidinsulation-severing blades.
 19. An apparatus as set forth in claim 18wherein: said contact feeding means is fixed to said movable member andsequentially feeds a plurality of said contacts joined side by side to acarrier strip in a stepwise fashion below said upper crimping jaw; andsaid upper crimping jaw severs each consecutive contact from saidcarrier strip during lowering of said movable member.
 20. In anapparatus for severing the insulation on an insulated wire, including asupport and fixed and movable insulation severing blades mounted on saidsupport, the improvement which comprises: adjustable stop meansengageable with said movable blade to control the spacing between saidblades to accommodate for different size wires; and said stop meanscomprising a shaft rotatable in said support, said shaft having aplurality of ramps formed thereon lying in the path of movement of saidmovable blade, each said ramp being spaced a distance from thelongitudinal axis of said shaft different from the other ramps, wherebyselective rotation of said shaft will bring a ramp having apredetermined elevation into position for abutting engagement with saidmovable blade.
 21. An apparatus as set forth in claim 20 wherein: saidshaft is threadedly engaged in said support whereby rotation thereofwill shift said shaft longitudinally; and Each said ramp is inclined atan angle relative to said axis of said shaft so that one end of eachramp is closer to the axis than the other end thereof.
 22. A method ofattaching a contact having a U-section ferrule to an insulated wirecomprising the steps of: positioning one of said contacts between upperand lower crimping jaws with said ferrule opening downwardly; holding aninsulated wire in a fixed clamp adjacent to said lower crimping jaw;severing the insulation on said wire and stripping the severedinsulation from said wire while holding said wire in said fixed clamp toprovide a bared end portion of said wire; and lowering said uppercrimping jaw to carry said contact downwardly until said ferruleembraces said bared end portion of said wire and becomes crimped theretoin said lower crimping jaw.
 23. A method as set forth in claim 22wherein a plurality of said contacts are joined side by side to acarrier strip and including the additional steps of: repeating theforegoing series of steps; and sequentially feeding said plurality ofcontacts in a stepwise fashion between said crimping jaws following thecrimping operation of said foregoing series of steps.
 24. A method asset forth in claim 23 including the additional step of: separating eachsaid contact from said carrier during the lowering of said uppercrimping jaw.
 25. A method as set forth in claim 24 wherein said contactis separated from said carrier strip by: providing a stop memberadjacent to said lower crimping jaw; engaging said carrier strip withsaid stop member; and engaging said upper crimping jaw with said contactwhile said strip is engaged with said stop member to shear said contactfrom said strip during the lowering of said upper crimping jaw.
 26. Amethod as set forth in claim 22 including the steps of positioning saidlower crimping jaw forwardly of said upper crimping jaw when initiallyholding said wire by said clamp; and shifting said lower crimping jawrearwardly to a position in vertical alignment with said upper crimpingjaw following severing of said insulation and prior to lowering of saidupper crimping jaw.
 27. A method as set forth in claim 26 wherein: saidlower crimping jaw is shifted rearwardly simultaneously with saidstripping of said insulation from said wire.
 28. In an apparatus forstripping the insulation from an end portion of an insulated wire andcrimping a U-section ferrule forming a part of an electrical contact tothe bared end portion of the wire comprising a crimping jaw attachmentto a press ram and table, wire-clamping means and insulation-strippingmeans, said insulation-stripping means including insulation-severingblades, means mounting said insulation-stripping means for movement froma forward position adjacent to said clamping means to a rearwardposition, means for moving said wire-clamping means into engagement withan insulated wire, means for operating said insulation-severing bladeswhile said insulation stripping means is in said forward position andsaid wire is held by said wire-clamping means to sever the insulation onthe wire, means for shifting the insulation-stripping means to saidrearward position while said wire is held by said wire-clamping means tostrip the severed insulation from said wire, the improvement whichcomprises: means for sequentially feeding a plurality of said contactsjoined side by side to a carrier strip, with the ferrules thereof opendownwardly, between said crimping jaws; and means for lowering saidpress ram upon movement of said insulation-stripping means to saidrearward position to separate one of said contacts from said strip andto crimp the ferrule thereof to said wire.